PLEASE ALLOW A FEW SECONDS FOR PAGE TO LOAD

 

THE NIGHT THAT CHANGED AMERICA   McCain Concedes     On November 4th, 2008, at 11:00PM, America made history by electing the first African-American to be President of the United States.   250,000 gathered in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois, the site of the 1968 Democratic Convention riots. This night was very different. I'm not sure words can describe the shear joy that was shared by everyone in the park that night.   The man that Oprah Winfrey is leaning against was a complete stranger. A week or so later, she invited him on her TV show to thank him.   This historic moment was celebrated around the country.     And around the world.   In Review    I mentioned back at the end of my 2007 page that labels such as Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Liberal were becoming meaningless to me. I used them here only to identify the "tone" of media outlets and personalities, most of which have used these labels to describe themselves.   When I started really paying attention (during the Reagan era), I began to understand that elections matter, both on a local and state level, as well as on a national level. I watched as federal fiscal policies created hardship for the middle class during the Reagan years. I watched as George H.W. Bush continued those policies, right into a recession. In the 90s, Bill Clinton reversed some of them and we saw a huge boom in employment and the stock market - 22 million new jobs and a market that went from 1500 to 10,000. Then George W. Bush reversed nearly everything. And here we are... again: jobs going away at a rate we haven't seen since the 1930s and the market losing 40% of its value, with no end to the downward spiral in sight.   As I think back to the Reagan era, I realize my parents' business was a good economic barometer. They opened the doors on their steak and seafood restaurant in the early summer of 1968. It took 2-3 years for the business to really start making a profit. Through most of the 70s, business was great. They would completely turn over their dining area 2 and 3 times on Friday and Saturday nights. They developed a great banquet business. Even through the Carter years, when oil prices tripled from $7 a barrel to $21 a barrel, they managed to keep business flowing. In the 80s, the federal government started cutting back on funds for state programs such as education, highway funding, social services, etc. because they had to offset the huge tax cuts they gave to the top 2% (wage earners) in the country. This meant lay-offs for tens of thousands of workers in Columbus and Franklin County. In addition, Social Security income was taxed for the first time beginning in 1982. Middle and low income people didn't have as much money to spend on a night out. By the late 80s, business was down. Renovations, menu changes and expansion of services did not help. They had to sell their business at a loss in 1991 after 23 years.   I even noticed this in my business - live music. Clubs were moving away from live entertainment to disc jockeys to save money. This forced me to have to travel further to stay employed full time, with me eating the additional fuel costs because clubs' budgets for entertainment were being cut. I eventually stopped performing for a few years.   This cyclical fiscal behavior has a ripple effect that eventually affects all businesses and income brackets. Contrary to the crowd that thinks Wall Street is the only economic indicator, if middle and low income jobs start vanishing, everyone suffers. Trying to build an economy from the top down does not work. Every time it's been tried, it has resulted in recession. If only the top income earners are making money, our country suffers. If the middle class shrinks, our country suffers. If jobs are shifted overseas, our country suffers. If we stop building things here at home, our country suffers.   How many times do we go around this mountain before we start climbing it?   How many times do we repeat these mistakes expecting different results? And is that not the textbook definition of insanity?   My hope and prayer is that our new President understands all this better than any of us. I know he's intelligent, well-read, well-educated, pragmatic and, from what I can see, sincere. Only time will tell. If the results of his policies are anywhere close to his dreams for putting America back on the right track, he will not only have two terms in office, but will be hailed as one of the best Presidents this country has ever seen.   A hopeful thought, to be sure.   A Rare Opportunity   It is not often we have the opportunity to really get to know our presidents. We see them in the media, hear them on radio and listen to others talk about them, but rarely do we get the unfiltered version straight from them BEFORE we elect them.   Barack is certainly the exception. Thanks to his website, we knew about his policies and where he stood on the issues LONG before he was considered to be a viable candidate for the Democratic nomination, much less for president. He had also written two books about his life and his beliefs before he announced in February, 2007.   Now that he is our president, I'm hoping that everyone reading this who DID NOT vote for him, takes the time to get to know him in his own words. You will not regret the time spent.       In Closing   For 19 months we observed a man who did not waver in his faith in the American people and our willingness to move into "unchartered" waters. Even under intense scrutiny, he remained calm - never fearful, never angry.   It was as if he was saying...                                                                                                        Thank you for taking the time to read these pages. It's the first time I've ever discussed politics in a published forum. My intent was to inform, not malign. Hopefully, the next generation and beyond can look back on these pages some day and get a layman's sense of this historical year.